Elias Bennett

Elias Bennett performed the marriages between Lucinda Reed and Simon P. Radabaugh on November 25, 1855 and between Sarah F. Reed and William Bartlett on June 4, 1863 in Barbour Co., WV.

(Photo Source: The History of Upshur County, West Virginia: From Its Earliest Exploration, by William Bernard Cutright)

1810 Orange County, VA Tax List

William Reed, was the only Reed listed in the 1810 Orange County, VA Tax List, as shown above. Unfortunately, if this is our William Reed, this record does show him as having one slave above the age of sixteen. William appeared to have two houses on his property, along with two stud horses or mules. His tax obligation was 1 pound 24 shillings.

William's wife Dicey Rumsey, was likely the daughter or sister of William or Elijah Rumsey, as listed below. The Rumseys apparently had more money as they had 3 to 5 slaves, and paid taxes of 2 pounds 12 shillings and 3 pounds 36 shillings respectively. It is possible that Elijah was the father of William and Dicey given that he had the larger amount of resources that included two houses and three stud horses or mules. Of course, Dicey may be the daughter of the only Rumsey listed on the tax records for Orange Co. in 1800, Thomas Rumsey.



Interestingly, there are no entries for a Crayton/Creighton family, which may likely indicate that William Read, Jr.'s wife Lucinda Crayton's family did not arrive in Orange County until after 1810.

(Source: http://www.binnsgenealogy.com/FreeSample/CDR-000457/1810/index.htm)

William Reed of Stafford County

I had the opportunity to stop by the Orange County, VA Courthouse on 12 March 2010, where I saw the original county copies of the marriage bonds for William Read and Dysa Rumsey and their son William Read and Lucinda Crayton.

The only other possible reference to our Reed family was the below deed. Once I can determine the exact location as described in the deed, I hope to find grave sites and other potential sources of information that can help us to overcome this roadblock in discovering the true origins of our family.

Exd. & Deld. to sd Reed Octr 1788
This indenture made xxvith day of October 1786 between William Threlkeld of County of Stafford an Margaret his wife of one part and William Reed of County aforesaid ...Witnesseth that in consideration of sum Sixteen pounds current money of Virginia have granted unto William Reed 105 acres in Orange County bounded Beginning at large Read oak by the side of the New Road being one of the old corners now corner to William Cave and William Peches to three white oaks near the head of the White Oak Branch corner to George Bledsoe to a white oak by the side of the lawyers old road corner to William Peches up the said raod to a white oak in the forks new and (lawyers) old road corner to Wm. Piches to the beginning ...

William Threlkeld
Margaret Threlkeld
At a court held for Orange County
26th October 1786 This Indenture was acknowledged
by William Threlkeld and Margaret his wife
she being first privately examined and ordered to be recorded.

(Source: Orange County Deeds 1786 - 1791, Book 19 Page 4)

Reed Household

(Photo courtesy of Mike Ballard)

Unknown (Possibly Eugene Francis Reed on Right)

(Photo courtesy of Mike Ballard)

Ida L. Reed and Friend ?

(Photo courtesy of Mike Ballard)

Lucy Reed, James Lee Reed, and Isadora Reed

(Photo courtesy of Mike Ballard)

Nancy Jane Lillard Reed, James Harrison Reed, and Hampton Homer Reed

(Photo courtesy of Mike Ballard)

Benjamin F. Reed/Reid (b. c1805)

1850 Augusta Co. District Two and a Half Census

Benj Reid - 45 yrs - Carpenter
Sally [Sarah Payne] - 46 yrs
William [A.] - 21 yrs - Carpenter
Magdaline - 18 yrs
[George] Washington - 16 yrs - Carpenter
John - 12 yrs
Matilda - 11 yrs
Nancy - 9 yrs

1860 Augusta Co. North Subdivision Census - Burke's Mill P.O.
Benjm Reed - 64yrs [54] - Carpenter
S[ally] E. - 66yrs [56]
G[eorge] W[ashington] - 26yrs - Carpenter
J[ohn] W. - 22yrs
N[ancy] E. - 18yrs

1870 Augusta Co. District 3 Census - Mount Sidney P.O.
John W. Reed - 32yrs - Merchant
Benjamin - 64yrs - Carpenter
Sarah - 60yrs [66]
Nancy E. - 24 yrs

Matilda may have married a Francis E. Johnston, living in Augusta Co. District 1 in 1860 with child Samuel Johnston (b. c1859). A Jane Reed was living with them at the time.

Orange Co. Location

When James Harrison Reed's widowed grandmother Dicy remarried to Henry Teel in 1813, the minister was a John Goss. During this time period, Rev. Goss preached at the Blue Run Baptist Church near Somerset, Orange Co., VA, which was about six miles southwest of the Orange Co. Courthouse. As such, I am thinking that the family likely lived in the southwestern portion of Orange Co.

Furthermore, Dicy's son Benjamin married a Sarah Payne in Orange Co., and the Payne family, which included President James Madison's wife, Dolley, lived in the vicinity of Orange Courthouse and Montpelier.

Lastly, a lot of Newman family lived in this area and Benjamin had a grandson named Walter Newman Reed, which of course could be for some relation to the Newmans in southwest Orange Co. [Note: Walter was born c1859 in Augusta Co. to Benjamin Reed's son William A. Reed (b. c1829), his mother was Martha E. Smith (b. c1827).]

Rockingham Co. Reed Land

From the following record, we may be able to identify the general location of Reed property in Rockingham County, perhaps even that which may have been granted for service during the Revolutionary War. Per below, it appears that William G. Reid may have sold at the very least the mineral rights to his property. It would make sense, as the oldest son, he would have likely inherited, at least the largest portion of, the land that his father owned. We know that his younger brother James Harrison Reed lost his holdings due to the Civil War, but it isn't certain whether or not this land was connected. Of course, it is mere speculation that the tract mentioned below is the land of William G. and James' father and grandfather. It is right on the border of Greene County, which was part of Orange County until 1838. As William G. and James were both born in Orange Co. and their parents were married in Orange Co., it is plausible that they lived right on the border of Orange and Rockingham Co.

Based on the neighbors of William Reed listed in the 1840 Rockingham Co. Census, it appears that the family was already living in the town of McGaheysville. Also there were no Reed/Reid/Read names listed in the 1840 Greene Co. Census. Finally, in 1830, William's mother Dicy and brother Benjamin were in Orange Co. and William was in Rockingham Co. [Note: Dicy was born between 1770-1780.]

Also a certain tract of land containing one hundred and five A 105 acres No 20 lying between Swift Run gap and Simmon's gap on the Blue Ridge mountains adjoining the lands of Asa Baugher, Albert Shillett and others the same being conveyed by William G Reed to the National Security and Improvement Company and by said company to the Royal Land Company of Virginia which said deeds are duly recorded in the clerk's office of Rockingham county in book 13 of deeds The Royal Land Com'y of Virginia Its Purposes and Charters: Its Anthracite Coal, Iron Ore, Other Mineral Timber Lands: and Its Narrow-guage Railroads Form Chesapeake Bay to Pittsburg and the West. Their Condition, Advantages and Prospects as a Security for Its First Mortgage Seven Per Cent. Gold Bonds. With Information in Relation to the Bituminous and Anthracite Coals, Hematite, Specular and Magnetic Iron Ores ... By Royal Land Company of Virginia

Tracts 16-64 aggregating 5,652.5 acres of iron and timber lands on the Blue Ridge and Massanutton mountains and their slopes in Rockingham county Virginia leased for ninety nine years with privilege of renewal for mining purposes for a royalty of ten cents per ton of 2,240 pounds on all minerals removed The Royal Land Com'y of Virginia Its Purposes and Charters: Its Anthracite Coal, Iron Ore, Other Mineral Timber Lands: and Its Narrow-guage Railroads Form Chesapeake Bay to Pittsburg and the West. Their Condition, Advantages and Prospects as a Security for Its First Mortgage Seven Per Cent. Gold Bonds. With Information in Relation to the Bituminous and Anthracite Coals, Hematite, Specular and Magnetic Iron Ores ... By Royal Land Company of Virginia

McGaheysville

According to the "Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion", McGaheysville in the early 19th century was a manufacturing center that provided local needs for clothes, shoes, hats, furniture and wagons. This may have been the attraction to our William Reed, who was himself a carpenter.

Hampton Homer Reed and Virginia Isner Reed?

After careful facial recognition consideration and estimating the date of the photo that this image was cropped from to be early-to-mid 1880s, I have concluded that these two individuals are most likely Hampton Homer Reed and perhaps his wife Virginia Isner or a visiting cousin. While I am 95% sure of this, can anyone confirm or disprove my conclusion?

If anyone has old photos of Reed or Reid family, or unknown photos from Barbour CO., Upshur Co., Taylor CO., WV and/or Rockingham Co., VA, please send them my way.

John W. Reid Confusion

It appears there is some confusion in the Civil War Records regarding John W. Reid, since it appears that two John W. Reid's fought with the Captain Carpenter's Alleghany Artilery. One was a Sargeant and the other a Private. First, Sergeant John William Reid was from Stephensburg, Frederick CO., VA, who transferred to the Alleghany Artillery after his battery led by Wilfred E. Cutshaw merged with Carpenter's in Sep 1862. John William Reid was living in Stephensburg, Frederick Co., VA in 1860 and toiled the land as a farmer, so he was clearly not a carpenter in Augusta Co., VA. Sergeant John W. Reid was living with his family in Opequon, Frederick Co., VA after the war in 1870 through at least1880, and likely lived the rest of his life in Frederick Co., not Grottoes, Rockingham Co., VA. John William Reid apparently sometimes went by the name William, and was listed on the 1880 census as J. William Reed.

I believe Private John W. Reid to be the son of William and Lucinda, or possibly a nephew. It became clear that the two John's were separate given that the Civil War Records showed event dates that conflicted with one another. For example, Private John W. Reid was imprisoned at Fort Delaware while the Sergeant was still in service. I used the Civil War Records to construct the following timeline of some of Private John W. Reid's key Civil War events.


16 Jul 1861 - Enrolled as a Private for 1 year service with Captain Edward M. Dabney’s Company C “Lechter Guard” of the VA 52nd Infantry of the Virginia Volunteers in Staunton, Augusta Co., VA. Company C was based in the Mossy Creek area.

30 Jul 1861 - Mustered in by Major M.G. Harper in Staunton.

15 Aug 1861 - Absent without leave.

Nov – Dec 1861 Absent without leave.

13 Apr 1862 - Drafted from the Augusta Militia, enlisted as a Private for 3 years of service by Captain Joseph Carpenter into the Allegheny Rough Artillery in New Market,

17 Apr 1862 - Deserted near Harrisonburg, Rockingham Co., VA.

30 Nov 1863 - Arrested by U.S. Troops in Beverly Co., WV.

6 Dec 1863 - Listed as a POW at the Atheneum Prison in Wheeling, WV. He was listed as a carpenter who last resided in Augusta Co., VA, 27 years of age, 5’10”, fair complexion, blue eyes, and dark hair. He was listed as Private of Captain Joseph Carpenter’s Company.

7 Dec 1863 - Sent by Captain W.C. Thorpe to Camp Chase in Columbus, OH.

8 Dec 1863 - Arrived at Camp Chase.

29 Feb 1864 - Transferred to Fort Delaware, Delaware.

4 Mar 1864 - Arrived at Fort Delaware.

20 Apr 1865 - Paroled by Major General E.B. Parsons near Newtown, VA.


Finally, a word on the sourcing of Private John W. Reid's birth/death information was taken from the Virginia Regimental Histories Series.

John Reid Found?

I am not certain I have found William and Lucinda's son John, but the information that I will lay out now does give me some hope.

Civil War Records indicate that a John W. Reid (b. 28 Jun 1833 - d. 6 Oct 1899) was enlisted in the Alleghany Rough Artillery on 13 April 1862 in Augusta Co., VA where he was residing and working as a carpenter. Supposedly, he deserted four days later in Harrisonburg, Rockingham Co., VA. At the time of his death he was living in Grottoes, Rockingham Co., VA. Another record indicates that in Staunton, Augusta Co., VA he enlisted in Company C of the Virginia 52nd Infantry on 16 Jul 1861.

Now this birthdate is off from the 1827 date given in the 1850 census, but we all know that it seems back then it was hard to have a consistent burthdate from record to record. That said, it still muddies the water a bit.

The rest of the information, however, is what got me excited. First, we know that William was a carpenter, so his son would likely pick up the trade.We also know that Reid/Reed family members resided in the Staunton area of Augusta Co., like Walter Newman Reed's family. Next the fact that he deserted in Harrisonburg and then died in Grottoes is significant given their proximity to McGaheysville.

Any thoughts?

Missing Children of William and Lucinda Reed

Well, now, with the probable discovery of the path of Benjamin Franklin Reed, we are down to three children of William and Lucinda whose histories are missing. From Lucinda's obituary, at the time of her death, we know that one child was still in Virginia (William Grey Reid), one child was in New Orleans (Maggie Stockton), one was in Arkansas (?), four were in West Virginia (James, Benjamin, Sarah Bartlett, and ?), and one had died prior to Lucinda (?).

The three left were Lucinda Radabaugh, Elizabeth, and John.

Since Lucinda Radabaugh's husband, Simon, remarried in 1878 in West Virginia, and we know from census records that Lucinda Radabaugh was living in 1870 in Upshur Co., we can assume that if she were living still in 1873, which we do not yet know, she can be counted as one living in West Virginia. So Lucinda was either the deceased child or living in West Virginia.

So if Lucinda Radabaugh was still living in 1873, either John or Elizabeth were the deceased child, and either John or Elizabeth was living in Arkansas. If Lucinda was deceased, of course, of John and Elizabeth...one would have been in West Virginia and one in Arkansas.

Anyone out ther have additional clues?

Benjamin Franklin Reed

Photo courtesy of Bruce Reed.

It appears that the Benjamin Franklin Reed who married Rachel Weaver on 11 December 1857 in Barbour Co. is James Harrison Reed's brother, who was listed as Franklin in the 1850 census. This is based on Banjamin's marriage certificate naming his parents as William and Lucinda Reed. Also because Benjamin was said to have been born on 8 Nov 1835 in Rockingham Co., VA, where the Reed family resided before coming to Barbour Co. Benjamin and family eventually made their way to Ritchie Co., and he died on 13 Oct 1884 in Harrison Co., WV. He was buried there at the Mt. Zion Cemetery.

Reed Homestead 3D Rebuild

Since the James Harrison Reed homestead, where Ida L. Reed resided, in the Arden area of Barbour County was burnt down, I decided to use Google's Sketchup program and Google Earth to make a 3D replica of the home, based on the few photographs that I have (which have been posted to this blog). For those of you who use Google Earth and would like a copy of the .kmz file with the 3D rebuild of the Reed homestead, please let me know.

I was just guessing on the paint colors, since I probably only saw the house once, if at all, before it was burnt down, and I would have just been a small boy at that. So if anyone who saw the home and remembers paint details and any other things I may have missed, please let me know.

From my model, I am guessing that the cleared land across the road from the house, was the land cleared and owned by James Harrison Reed. It would be nice to have some land records that detail the extent of their holdings.

William Reed(e) Died 29 May 1882 in Upshur Co., WV

A William Reede, who was a farmer in Upshur Co., died at the age of 79 on 29 May 1882. Given his residence and birth year of c1803, this may be the same William Reed who was married to Ceny Adams and perhaps previously to Lucinda Creighton, as mentioned previously.

DNA Revisited

I currently have DNA experts trying to verify results and determine why first cousins twice removed have at least seven markers that are off by at least one. We can at least safely say that our Reed family belongs to the R1B1 haplogroup, confirming Celtic origins. However, we need more males (who have the Reed/Reid surname) in the family to participate in the DNA projects to help narrow in on our origins. I would especially encourage descendants of Hampton Homer Reed to participate, given the DNA discrepancies between two Hampton descendants. If you have the funds, I would recommend getting a test from FamilyTreeDNA and participating in the Reed project. If your money is tight, I would recommend the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF), which is free to participate (you just have to provide four generations of your genealogy along with swished mouth wash, which they provide. When I did it postage was also covered by SMGF. would be glad to help anyone put their four generation genealogy together.) Please note that the various DNA projects protect your identity, so please do not this keep you from participating. I am very security minded and I participated. Thanks ahead of time for your participation, which will greatly help our efforts to discover our roots. Send me any questions that you might have.